A couple of years ago, I attended a Bible study class on the Book of Ruth at a local synagogue. I was interested in learning more about Scripture from a Jewish perspective. One aspect of the class that fascinated me was that the rabbi leading the class focused the class's attention on small details of the text on which I never would have thought to focus. For example, what was the significance of Elimelech and his family choosing to leave Bethlehem during its time of trial (...

“Have you been born again, my friend?” Thousands of Catholics have been asked this question by well-meaning Fundamentalists or Evangelicals. Of course, by “born again” the Protestant usually means: “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior through the recitation of ‘the sinner’s prayer?”” How is a Catholic to respond?

The simple Catholic response is: “Yes, I have been born again—when I was baptized.” In...

A man—I'll call him Robert—wrote to me recently telling me a horror story about his ex-wife. To say she acted uncharitably during and after their separation and divorce would be an understatement. Of course, I am only hearing one side of the story, but his question boiled down to this: “Am I required to forgive her, even though she is not sorry for anything she has done, and then to forget about what she has done because God 'forgets' when he forgives and calls us to do the same? I must...